Conveyer and transfer mechanism



c. J. MALHlOT 2,461,167

9 Sheets-Sheet l CONVEYER AND TRANSFER MECHANISM Feb. 8, 1949.

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flarczzs 11/7700? ('02 lywhgoawr% Article conveying mechanism A pair of sprockets 2 and 3 are mounted upon shafts 4 and 5, Figs. 1 and 2, which are suitably supported upon main frame I, and these sprock- 1 ets carry a conveyor chain 6. The chain 6, Figs. 1, 5, 6 and 8, comprises a plurality of links I pivotally joined together with rollers 8, Fig. 7, therebetween.

A plurality of substantially T-shaped article advancing or pusher members 9 are pivotally connected to the conveyor chain 6. Each of the pusher elements 9 comprises a stem portion II), Figs. 6 and 7, and a pusher portion II (Fig. 5). The pusher elements 9 travel along guide rails I2, I3 and M during operative movement. Guide rail I2 is mounted in a substantially U-shaped channel I5 which extends between the upper portions of the sprockets 2 and 3 and is supported at both ends of the machine in any suitable manner. The rollers 8 of the conveyor chain are adapted to travel along the upper surface of the guide rail I2 and to be guided thereby.

The guide rails I3 and I4 are suitably attached to side plates I8 and I9 which extend throughout the length of the machine. The guide rails E3 and Id provide a table for supporting the article, such as a razor blade, to be wrapped, and

also as a guide for the upper portions II of the pusher members 9. These guide rails extend from a position adjacent the lower end of the lefthand sprocket 2, to a position adjacent the lower end of the sprocket 3, Fig. 8.

Each of the pusher members 9 is also provided with a, pin 29 which is adapted to ride within a cam groove 2| provided in the guide rail I3. The

, cam groove 2| extends throughout the length of the guide rail I3 and provides for constantly controlling the pusher elements during the operative portion of their movement. A pivot pin 22 also extends outwardly from the pusher members 9 and is received beneath a pair of guide plates 23 and 24 mounted upon the channel member I5. The guide rails I2, I3 and I4 together with the pins and 22, the cam groove 2|, and the guide plates 23 and 24 provide for maintaining the pusher members always in proper position, Figs. 6 to 8. t

The lower reach of the conveyor 5 is the return for the conveyor mechanism. During the return travel of the conveyor 6 the pushers 9 are allowed to drop to a free position as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Thedownward drop of the pushers is limited by the engagement of each pusher element with the links of the conveyor chain. At the'left-hand end of the machine the pins 20 of the pushers re-enter the cam groove 2| so that the pusher elements may again co-actwith the articles being conveyed. Proper tension in the conveyor chain '6 is maintained by a sprocket 29! carried by a pivotally mounted arm 298, Fig. 2.

Preliminary stations magazine 26. After being fed to the guide rails, 'the article is advanced by the pusher 9 to a wrapper feed station 38 where the wrapper is fed straight line.

to the article 25 and is cut to proper length, whereupon the article is partially wrapped as is shown in Fig. 11. After leaving the wrapping station, the article is carried by the conveyor to an end flap tucking and rolling station I5 and 8|, Fig. 3, which tucks and rolls the end flaps of the wrapper so that the partially wrapped article appears as is shown in Fig. 12. The following station is a P tial folding station for the end flaps and there the end flaps are folded downwardly as appears in Fig. 13. The mechanism for performing these various partial wrapping operations is not described in this application for the reason that it is not a subject of the protection claimed under this application and it is more fully disclosed and described in my above mentioned co-pending application, Serial No. 442,205.

Article reversing wheel The continuously advancing article is next received by a reversing wheel which unfolds the partially wrapped article from the position shown in Fig. 14 to that shown in Fig. 15 while continuously advancing the article forwardly along a This reversing wheel comprises a pair of circular spiders H5, Figs. 5 and 7,so spaced as to receive the articles therein and yet permit passage of the pusher heads II therebetween as illustrated in Fig. 7. The spiders II5 are mounted upon shafts H6 and II! and are rotated as a unit as hereinafter described.

Each of the spiders I I5 is provided with a plurality of article receiving pockets or notches I I8, Figs. 1. 2 and 5, so spaced as to receive continuously advancing articles during continuous rotary movement of the reversing wheel. The articles are moved into the reversing wheel by the pushers 9 of the conveyor 6, and are picked up on the other side of the wheel by pushers 9 carried by the same conveyor 6. Figs. 5, 16, 1'7 and 18 illustrate the operation of the conveyor in feeding the article to the reversing wheel.

Referring to these figures it will be noted that the article receiving notches IIB are somewhat wider than the thickness of the article. As the article is advanced by the pusher 9 and pusher head I I, the timing is such that an upper portion of a notch H8 of the reversing wheel is in position to receive the article as shown in Fig, 16. Further continuous movement of the wheel and pusher causes the article to be inserted into the notch H8 as indicated in Fig. 1'7. Just prior to the complete insertion of the article in a notch I I8 the pusher 9, including the head I I, is caused to drop by a lowered portion II9 of the cam groove 2I in the guide rail I3. This releases the pusher from the article and permits the pusher to continuously move forwardly while the article is rotatably carried by the reversing wheel, Fig. 5.

The position of the drop in the cam track 2| is such that the pusher head II disengages the article at the critical point with respect to movement of the article by the reversing wheel. Since the pin 29 of the pusher which travels in the cam track 2i is cylindrical, the pusher head II gradually moves downwardly from the article as the pin 29 engages the drop in the cam track, and then suddenly drops to disengage the head I! from the article. Guide rails I3 and It are'suitably grooved as indicated at I22, Fig. 5, to permit the downward movement of the pusher head II.

During movement of the article around the reversing wheel, the wrapper side flaps 18 are maintained in their folded condition by means of a pair of side plates I25, Figs. 5 and 6, which engear 324 is mounted upon a shaft 325 which is eccentrically positioned with-respect to the shaft 32! and is carried by a bracket 326,,Figs; 3, l and 9. The gear 324 meshes with a gear 32! which rotates a pinion. 328 meshing with a gear 329 attached to the shaft I58 of the reversing wheel.

Since both the rotary conveyor chain 6 and the article reversing wheel are positively. gear driven from the main drive shaft 304 of the wrapping machine, there is always maintained the proper timed relation between the conveyor chain and the article reversing wheel. 7

Operation JIhe conveyor chain 6 is continuously moved by the sprocket 3 thereby continuously advancing the pushers 9 and their pusher heads I l. The feeding chute 25 feeds the articles to be advanced to the guide rails I3 and [4 along. which the pusher heads travel. Thereafter the pushers 9 feed the articles into their wrappers 3! at the wrapping station38 and subsequently the partially wrapped articles are passed along to an end flap tucking and rolling station where the end flaps are tucked and rolled. The tucked end flaps are then folded downwardly and the partially wrapped article is next inverted by the reversing wheel comp-rising the spider members i5. Following inversion the articles are again picked up by the conveyor 8 and the subsequent wrapping operations are thereafter performed upon the article.

Changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the-parts without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages, and the right is hereby reserved to make all such changes as fairly fall within the scope of the following claims.

The invention is hereby claimed as follows:

1. In a wrapping machine, a rotary transfer wheel comprising a pair of spaced apart discs having circu'mferentially spaced pocket forming slots, means to turn said discs continuously and in unison with said slots in lateral alignment, a continuously operating conveyor extending between said discs and movable in a direction to deliver articles successively into the said pockets on one side of said transfer wheel as the same turns continuously, and means to eject articles from said pockets on the other side of the wheel.

2. In a mapping machine, a rotary transfer wheel comprising a pair of spaced apart discs having circumferentially spaced pocket forming Slots, means to continuously turn said discs with said slots in lateral alignment, a continuously operating conveyor extending between said discs and movable in a direction to deliver articles into the said pockets on one side of said transfer .Wheel to eject articles from said pockets on the other'side of the wheel, while the said wheel is in continuous rotation.

3. In a wrappin machine, a rotary transfer wheel comprising a pair of spaced apart discs having circumferentially spaced pocket forming slots, means to turn said discs with said slots' in lateral alignment, a conveyor extending between said discs and movable in a direction to deliver articles into the said pockets on one side of said transfer wheel, said conveyor having spaced pusher members thereon, and means to guide said pusher members as the conveyor passes between said discs whereby to retract the same from article pushing position, as the article is delivered in a said pocket, on one side of said wheel, and to project said pusher members into pushing position, on the other side of the wheel, whereby to eject articles from said pockets on the otherside of the wheel, while the same is in continuous rotation.

4. In a wrapping machine,;a rotary transfer wheel comprising a pair of spaced apart discs having circumferentially spaced pocket forming slots, means to turn said discs with said slots in lateral alignment, a conveyor extending between said discs and movable in a direction to deliver articles into the said pockets on one side of said transfer wheel, said conveyor having spaced pusher members thereon, and means to guide said pusher members as the conveyor passes between said discs whereby to retract the same from article pushing position, as an article is delivered in a said pocket on one side of said wheel, and to project said pusher members into pushing position, on the other side of the wheel, whereby to eject articles from said pockets on the other side of the wheel, while the same is in continuous rotation, and means to reduce the speed. of said wheel intermittently whenever thecon-- veyor delivers an article into a said pocket.

5. In a wrapping machine, a rotary transfer wheel comprising a pair of spaced apart discs having circumferentially spaced pocket forming slots, means to turn said discs with said slots in lateral alignment, a conveyor extending between said discs and movable in a direction to deliver articles into the said pockets on one side of said transfer wheel, pusher members spaced apart on said conveyor and successively movable therewith between said discs, said pusher members being retractable on the conveyor from ar ticle pushing position, a cam track for guiding the pushers during the movement thereof, from one side of the wheel to the other, and oper: able to retract each pusher as it delivers an article into the said pocket and to project said pushers into article pushing position whereby to eject articles from said pockets on the other sideof the wheel, while the same is in continuous rotation. V

6. In a wrapping machine, a rotary transfer wheel comprising a pair of spaced apart discs having circumferentially spaced pocket forming slots, means to turn said discs with said slots in lateral alignment, a conveyor extendin between said discs and movable in a direction to deliver articles into the said pockets on one side of said transfer wheel, said conveyor having spaced pusher members pivoted thereon, and meansto guide said pusher members as the conveyor passes between said discs whereby to retract the same from article pushing position, as an article is delivered in a said pocket on one side of said wheel, and to project said pusher members into pushing position, on the other side of the wheel, whereby to eject articles from said pockets on the other side of the wheel, while the same is-in continuous rotation.

7, In a wrapping machine, a continuously moving article conveyor, a continuously rotating transfer wheel having cir-cumferentially spaced article receiving pockets adapted to receive articles from the conveyor on. one side of said wheel, to invert the articles and return the same to said conveyor on the other side of the wheel, said conveyor having spaced pusher members thereon'adapted to engage articles and deliver them successively in the pockets of the wheel, a cam track in position to cooperate with said pusher elements as they reach the wheel to retract the same from article engaging position as the article pushed thereby enters a corresponding wheel pocket, on one side of the wheel, said cam track serving to return said pusher members to article engaging position as the same reach the other side of the wheel whereby to eject articles in inverted position from said pockets at the other side of the wheel.

8. In a wrapping machine, laterally spaced rotatable article supports having circumferentially spaced pockets forming slots, means for continuously rotating said supports in unison, a continuously operating conveyor extending between said supports, and movable in a direction to deliver articles successively into said pockets on one side of said supports, and to eject articles from said pockets on the other side of the supports, and means for driving said supports at variable speeds, whereby said supports will be driven at a relatively slow speed during delivery of articles into said pockets.

9. In a wrapping machine, laterally spaced rotatable article supports having circumferentially spaced pockets forming slots, means for continuously rotating said supports in unison, a continuously operating conveyor extending between said supports, and movable in a direction to deliver articles successively into said pockets on one side of said supper-ts, and to eject articles from said pockets on the other side of the supports, means :for driving said supports at variable speed, whereby said supports will be driven at a relatively slow speed during delivery of articles into said pockets, said conveyor embodying article engaging and moving elements shiftably mounted with respect to the conveyor, means for moving said elements with respect to the conveyor, and out of engagement with the'articles as they are fed from the conveyor to the said supports, and means for returning said elements with respect to the conveyor, and into engagement with articles to discharge them from said supports.

10. In a wrapping machine, laterally spaced rotatable article supports having spaced pockets for receiving the articles, means for continuously rotating said supports, a continuously operating conveyor extending between said supports, and

movable in a direction to deliver articles successively into said pockets on one side of the supports, and to eject articles from the pockets on the other side of the supports, and means whereby said supports may be rotated at variable speeds with respect to the speed of the conveyor, While the speed of operation of the conveyor remains constant.

11. In a wrapping machine, laterally spaced rotatable article supports having circumferentially spaced pockets forming slots, means for continuously rotating said supports in unison, a continuously operating conveyor extending between said suppcrts, and movable in a direction to deliver articles successively into said pockets on one side of said supports, and to eject articles from said pockets on the other side of the supports, means for driving said supports at variable speeds, whereby said supports will be driven at a relatively slow speed during delivery of articles into said pockets, said conveyor embodying article engaging and moving elements carried by and shiftably mounted with respect to the conveyor, and means separate from and arranged along the line of travel of the conveyor, for moving said elements with respect to the conveyor and out of engagement with articles as they are fed from the conveyor to the said supports, and for returning said elements with respect to the conveyor into engagement with articles to discharge them from said supports.

CLARENCE J. MALI-HOT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Milmoe Oct. 30, 1934 

